Macron does not rule out putting Western troops in Ukraine in future

French President Macron discusses potential Western troop deployment in Ukraine amid fears of Russian expansionism at European leaders' meeting.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that sending Western troops on the ground in Ukraine is not “ruled out” in the future after the issue was debated at a gathering if European leaders, as Russia's full-scale invasion grinds into a third year.

The French leader said at the meeting of 20 European heads of state and other Western officials in Paris that “we will do everything needed so Russia cannot win the war.”

“There's no consensus today to send in an official, endorsed manner troops on the ground. But in terms of dynamics, nothing can be ruled out,” Mr. Macron said in a news conference.

The meeting included German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Polish President Andrzej Duda as well as leaders from the Baltic nations.

Mr. Macron declined to provide details about which nations were considering sending troops, saying he prefers to maintain some “strategic ambiguity.”

Mr. Macron earlier called on European leaders to ensure the continent's “collective security” by providing unwavering support to Ukraine in the face of tougher Russian offensives on the battlefield in recent months.

“In recent months particularly, we have seen Russia getting tougher,” Mr. Macron said. “We also know that Russia is preparing new attacks, in particular to shock Ukrainian public opinion.”